Sack ARC councillors say angry ratepayers

By WAYNE THOMPSON

A meeting of about 270 angry North Shore ratepayers yesterday called for the Auckland Regional Council to be sacked and replaced by a Crown-appointed commissioner.

It capped a week of protest against the council's new direct rating policy which has dealt some ratepayers increases of 657 per cent.

East Coast Bays ratepayer associations were surprised at the large turnout of people who packed the hall at Milford and echoed the dissatisfaction of the 300 people who went to last Wednesday's North Shore City Council meeting and won support for their call on the ARC to review its rates.

On Saturday, 30 ratepayer and Grey Power groups from Pukekohe to Warkworth met to plot a fighting strategy against the complicated rating formula.

The result was to unite all groups' efforts under the banner "The Regional Ratepayers Rebellion".

The meeting co-chairman, David Thornton, said tens of thousands of people were signing a regional petition, which had the backing of Grey Power and the Auckland Affiliates Council of the Combined Trade Unions.

Mr Thornton said some "non-ratepayer activist groups" at the meeting called for stronger action, such as abolition of the ARC and withholding payment of the increased portion of the rates.

But ratepayer groups settled for asking the Government to intervene and set up a committee of experienced people, including ratepayer representatives, to bring in new concepts for local body taxation.

They also sought the removal of GST on rates and for the ARC levy to return to collection by local councils instead of the new $6 million direct billing system.

Veteran fighter for pensioners' rights Percy Allison is organising a public protest march up Queen St for midday on August 23.

Mr Thornton said the ARC long-term plan called for a doubling of rates over the next five years to pay for improvements to rail and bus services.

"We must force a change in policy - we have to stop it now.

"We must focus on forcing the ARC to withdraw the rate and reset it after consultation with the people and they must have an open mind about submissions."

Demands that the ARC either reset the rates based on land value - or dissolve itself - came from yesterday's meeting, which was organised by the Campbells Bay and Castor Bay Ratepayers Groups.

"We have been let down badly by our representatives - they have listened to the spin doctors," said Castor Bay resident, Ken McKay.

Mr Thornton said ARC chairman Gwen Bull had said on television that the petition meant sending peoples' money back, going through a new public consultative process about how to rate, and then sending out new rates demands.

"She asks: 'is that what you want'?"

"Yes," roared the crowd.

North Shore City councillor Andrew Williams said Auckland MPs should be put on notice that they were expected to take a more active role in the rating issue which hurt the elderly and people on low incomes.

He urged the audience to tell their MPs to accept the invitation of North Shore Mayor George Wood to attend a meeting on Friday at the Bruce Mason Centre, in Takapuna.

The aim was to get their support for a review of the rating system and appropriate Government support for Auckland's transport needs.

Mrs Bull has so far resisted North Shore City's request for the ARC to hold a special meeting on the same day and review its rates.

Mrs Bull said in a statement: "We are confident that we were in compliance with the statutory process required to adopt our annual plan for 2003-2004 and to strike our rate.

"To revisit this process at this time would incur considerable costs to the region's ratepayers without any predictable benefit.

"We are committed to working with the regional community through the current year and will take into account all issues of public concern in planning for our rating process next year and developing our first long-term community plan.

"We look forward to working with your council and the various community organisations on the North Shore during this process."

Protest calendar

August 1: Auckland MPs meeting North Shore mayor and councillors to get support for rates review, 4pm, Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna.

August 2: Public meeting organised by Rodney ratepayer groups, 2pm, Orewa Community Hall, Hillary Square, Orewa.

August 8: Public meeting organised by Greypower North Shore, 1pm, North Harbour Netball Centre, Northcote Rd.

August 23 (provisional date): Public protest march up Queen St to Aotea Square, noon.

Wake Up Auckland and Greypower plan public meetings throughout Auckland City and Waiheke Island from August 6 to August 22. For times and place contact Ph 376-6213 or email marney@xtra.co.nz


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